


The Moments in Between

by OceanShay



Category: One Piece, The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Updated whenever, all gen fic requests from my tumblr, feel free to leave me some requests in the comments or in my askbox on tumblr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22103062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OceanShay/pseuds/OceanShay
Summary: Sometimes its the moments in between that define us as people.A set of drabble requests, generally somewhere around 200-300 words, although there will be variances in that length as I see fit for a prompt.Not a crossover, just a set of drabbles, titles contain a list of characters in the chapter.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	1. Sleeping (Law, Bepo)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Just a little note before you get started! This is the start of a little collection I got the idea for after asking for some writing requests on my tumblr (@oceanaromantic) and I wanted to share them on here as well! Please enjoy and also read the end notes for more information!

Law collapsed into his desk chair after a long day of managing the Polar Tang. They had left port pursued by the Marines after an incident in the market that morning and spent the better part of the day trying to keep themselves off their radar. It wasn’t easy work but it was better than being dead. 

Law wheeled his chair over to his desk and stared at all the papers he still had to sort through regarding supplies and the physical and mental wellbeing of his crew and put his head in his hands. He zoned out enough that he didn’t even hear his door open and someone stepping inside. It wasn’t until he felt a large furry body hug him from behind that he even realized someone else was in the room with him. 

“You need some rest Captain,” a familiar voice said from behind him. Law recognized it as Bepo and relaxed into the touch, not wanting to move from the desk because of the paperwork he needed to do. 

Inside however, he knew Bepo was right. He sighed and leaned his head back to look at Bepo’s face. 

“I know… “ he wanted to say more but his eyes were already closing, the exhaustion finally kicking in and Bepo was very soft… 

\--- 

Bepo watched as Law closed his eyes, trailing off on his thought, and picked him up and placed him on his bed. He was about to leave until Law’s voice called out. 

“Stay with me, please.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading all the way through! I know this isn't very long, but I didn't intend for it to be. I just want this to be like a little place for gen drabbles to go that might not be long enough for their own individual work. Also, I did say at the top of this that these were all originally requests, and this one was for my friend @metally-bat on tumblr/@coyotestarrksass here on AO3!  
> And thanks for reading all the way through! Remember to leave kudos and comments on your favorite works, it's some of the most encouraging stuff you can do for fan authors!   
> See the notes at the end of the whole work for request guidelines


	2. Cards (OG Heart Pirates)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some OG Heart Pirates for @yanimetea and @krystull on tumblr, requested on discord.

“Remind me why I agreed to play with you if you’re just going to cheat anyway?” Law said, a slight grin tugging at his mouth as he counted up how many points he had. 

“Because even you need to have fun sometimes and this is about as close to fun as you’re going to get in the middle of the ocean,” Shachi said while he and Penguin counted up their own points. 

Law laid out all his extra cards, which added up to only 20 points. He told Bepo his score and the bear wrote it down on a piece of paper. Bepo wasn’t huge on playing card games, but wanted to be included somehow, so he had become their score keeper, keeping track of who was closest to winning. 

Shachi had gained 50 points from that round, and Penguin a whole 115 points. Law knew the other two had peaked not only at each other’s cards, but at Law’s when they got the chance and kept the cards he needed in their hands until they had to get rid of them, but he didn’t really care that much about it. 

“Whose turn to shuffle?” he asked, holding out the deck to the other two. 

“Mine, I think,” Shachi said, reaching for the deck, promptly shuffling it and dealing out 7 cards each. 

They continued playing Gin Rummy for a while, sitting by the glow of a crackling fire and letting all their worries wash away just for a little bit. It wasn’t something they got to do often, but these little moments held a special place in each of their hearts. 

It was something to cherish. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See notes from the first chapter for request guidelines. Otherwise thanks for reading and remember to leave comments and kudos on your favorite works!


	3. Maybe Fate Had Something to Do With It (Zoro, Kuina)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another request for @yanimetea on tumblr. I got a little excited about trans man!Kuina and implied some trans!Zoro as well. Might add on to this in another stand-alone piece later.

“I challenge you to a duel!” Zoro cried out, holding his swords in a challenge-giving stance.

Kuina let out a laugh at Zoro’s proclamation. 

“How many times have you asked me that now?” 

“1,364, counting this one.” 

“And how many times have you lost?” 

“1,363.” 

Kuina let out another laugh at that, finding it amusing that Zoro could keep track of such large numbers, especially since she knew he didn’t keep written records of their fights anywhere. Over a thousand duels between the two and he still hadn’t won a single one. 

She grabbed a practice sword and walked over to the sparring circle, with Zoro right behind her. 

They came to attention, bowed towards each other, and stepped into their starting positions. Zoro, as always, used two swords in his fights, while Kuina used one, but she always managed to overtake him. 

One of the adult students supervised them and called for the duel to start. 

\--- 

It was over before it could really begin. Zoro tried a new tactic to try and catch Kuina by surprise, but she easily deflected and stepped out of the way. She disarmed him of one sword and swung it around to hold Zoro in a position he couldn’t recover from. 

“Make that 1,364 losses.” 

\--- 

She pulled the practice sword back and sheathed it on her hip and offered her hand to Zoro. 

“You surprised me for a second. Good job!” She said, smiling. He was making so much progress so fast and she was worried he would pass her soon. And from everything that she had been told by the adult students around her, she wasn’t going to be able to fight much longer. Something about needing to do more “womanly” duties? 

She got so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even hear Zoro’s reply, just felt his hand shake hers briefly before he walked away, probably trying to figure out a way to trip her up for their 1,365th fight. 

\--- 

It was late now, and Kuina had come outside for some fresh air before going to sleep. All of her thoughts running through her head, about having to give up sword fighting, the thing she loved most of all, in favor of… becoming a housewife? Thoughts about how she didn’t want Zoro to pass her in skill even though she believed it had to happen eventually because she was… a woman, and therefore weaker than him? Thoughts about being a woman, even though that’s not what she saw herself as sometimes. 

It was all very confusing, and she didn’t even notice that someone sat next to her or that she was crying. 

“Hey, Kuina, are you… okay?” a hesitant voice asked her. 

She jumped at the sudden noise and turned to look at whoever it was. Upon seeing Zoro, she quickly attempted to compose herself, wiping her face of tears and trying not to breathe too hard through her nose. 

“It’s late and I saw you get up.” 

“I’m… 

“I’m fine. Just needed some air.” 

Zoro looked skeptical but didn’t want to question it, knowing that Kuina could beat him up in a heartbeat. So he just watched her get up and go to bed, knowing that she needed her space and time to figure out what exactly she was feeling. 

\--- 

Zoro sat outside a bit longer, thinking about his own life, and how it had led him here. 

Maybe fate had something to do with it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading all the way through, it means a lot! Remember to leave kudos and comments on your favorite works because that's the biggest motivator for writers to keep making content!


	4. The Tree (Sloane, Hurley)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a tree just outside of town, and it's the most beautiful thing you'll ever see.

There was a tree just outside of town. It was the most beautiful tree anyone ever saw; with a trunk that looked like two friends, or lovers, embracing, and flowers a soft pink and white, always in bloom.    
Not many people knew where the tree came from. To most, it had suddenly appeared outside the battle wagon racetrack after the worst storm Goldcliff had ever seen. People came from around the world to visit and see it for themselves. Some even said it could cure illnesses, but that had never been more than a fairy tale.    
There was a plaque next to it, commemorating the tree. It spoke of two women who had given their lives the day the tree had appeared: a Ram and a Raven. Not much else is remembered about them.    
Over time, the tree grew older, taller. The lovers embrace remained at the base, now riddled with carvings of names and dates. The tree had become a popular spot for people to profess their love and propose. It was illegal to carve into the tree but it was listened to about as much as the battlewagon prohibition was. The flowers never died.    
Years passed, and eventually nobody remembered how the tree came to be. It always was there now. The plaque had been rusted away over time, only a faint memory of what was written remained. Lovers names had grown up to the branches, serving as a memory to everything that came before.    
Yet today, it was calm. The branches and flowers swayed in a faint breeze, and two friends sat against the trunk, held in a fond embrace, not unlike the one of those who had come before. The two friends had been sitting and talking for hours about everything and nothing. They knew about the legends of the tree, of the ram and the raven, like the back of their hands, but they believed it to be an old wives’ tale. They continued to talk about their thoughts, the present, the past, and what was to come for them. 

The friends had known each other for years and had talked before about getting together for real, like their parents had. That day, one of the friends had moved to look at the other one and ask them if they would be together forever, like their parents before them. They laughed and said of course they would, before continuing their conversation, sharing little kisses and giggles between them.    
As these two friends continued to sit and talk, a ram had come up behind the tree, and a raven swooped down to join them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I wrote this well over a year ago when I first finished the Petals to the Metal arc of TAZ Balance, but it aged pretty well I think, although my writing style has certainly changed a lot in that time. I also did not have the knowledge of the Day of Story and Song when I wrote it, but either way, its just a cute little short story. Remember to leave kudos and comments on your favorite fics! That's what really inspires writers to keep producing content!


	5. Wouldn't You Like to Know, Barrier Boy (Cavendish & Bartolomeo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request for @wholecake on tumblr that took me forever to think of something for. I take my writing too seriously sometimes I think and so this was very much not serious at all.

Cavendish absentmindedly plucked petals from a rose, dropping them onto his plate. He was doing something like  _ he loves me, he loves me not, _ but not quite. 

The last petal fell to the plate, and Cavendish groaned in frustration at the answers the flowers gave him, not that he believed much in the silly childhood game. There was, however, a small comfort to be found in it, if only because it reaffirmed his own thoughts. 

A pair of feet propped themselves up on the table, the boots covered in dirt as the owner of them had neglected to wipe them off at the door. 

“Hey bitch-face, what are you doing?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know, barrier boy?” 

Bartolomeo just shrugged. 

“Whatever. I can’t understand what you do half the time anyway.” 

Cavendish rolled his eyes at that and absentmindedly began playing with the petals on his plate. He picked one up and popped it in his mouth, letting it sit on his tongue. 

“What the actual hell are you doing?” 

“Nunya.” 

“What the hell is nunya?” 

“Nunya Fucking Business.” 

Cavendish swallowed the rose petal already in his mouth before taking another one. He definitely didn’t think that Bartolomeo would understand the delicacy that was rose petals. 

Bartolomeo reached over to grab a rose petal and eat it, cringing at the taste of it. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand anything you do if you think this is good food.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading all the way through! If you'd like to leave a request, do it either in the comments here or send me an ask on tumblr @oceanaromantic! Guidelines are in the last note of this work so feel free to take a look at those if you're interested. And as always, remember to leave comments and kudos on your favorite works, as that's really what keeps authors posting stuff that you like!


	6. Bed Time Story (Sanji, Sora)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanji and mom bonding time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was also posted on my tumblr and inspired by cruising-on-pirate-dreams on tumblr and I need somewhere to put it on here, and as it's too short to post as a standalone, I'm putting it here! Enjoy!

"Mommy! Mommy! Look what I made!" 

A young boy, about 5 years old now, ran to the bedside of his mother, carrying a tray of burnt food. 

He was so proud of it, grinning from ear to ear. 

Sora smiled at her son, knowing that he tried his best to do something nice for her. She picked up a fork and began eating, forcing it down with a smile. 

"It's delicious Sanji!" She exclaimed, genuinely delighted that he had thought to make something for her. 

Sanji pulled himself onto her bed, careful not to disturb his mother too much. 

Sora continued to eat her son's food, listening as he talked to her about his day and what was happening outside of her hospital room. 

"And the cooks were really nice! They let me make the food all on my own!" 

Sora smiled softly to herself as he rambled on. Sanji and Reiju's visits were the only thing she had to look forward to anymore. 

When Sanji had finished his stories for the day, he snuggled up under Sora's arm. 

"Do you want to hear a story?" She said. 

Sanji nodded enthusiastically, looking up at her with wide, blue eyes. 

"Once upon a time..... 

"There was a young princess, named Violet, who lived in a biiiiiiiiiiiiiig castle on a hill. She loved to run around and play tricks on her family and their servants. It was her favorite thing to do and she always made everyone smile and laugh.” 

Sanji giggled at that before moving the dishes to Sora’s nightstand. 

"Then one day, when Violet was down by a river getting some water for her next prank, she heard a strange noise from the other side. 

"'Who's there?' She asked. And from the woods, a dragon appeared! He was a big, golden, dragon and he picked up Violet and flew away as she cried for help! The dragon carried her to a tower in the middle of a wintery land and locked her up. 

"The King and Queen spent every day looking for Violet, but they found no trace of her or the dragon because it had hidden her where she would never be found. Or so it thought. 

"Then one day, while Violet was sitting in the tower, she heard someone outside looking for her and shouting her name. She ran up to the window and saw a man in a suit of armor that looked quite cold in the snowy weather. 

"Violet leaned out the window and tried to get the knight's attention. He turned around and saw her waving through the window! The knight was able to climb up the tower with rope and rescue Violet before the dragon could come back. 

"And when Violet finally returned, the kingdom celebrated for days, with lots of food and things to drink. The princess had been found!" 

Sora paused as Sanji yawned and closed his eyes, cuddling closer to her side. 

She smiled before finishing, 

"And the princess and knight lived happily ever after in their kingdom, making everyone around them smile too. 

"Sleep well, my little knight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading all the way through! It really means a lot to me that you did, yknow? If you liked it, please leave some kudos and/or a comment to let me know! You should also do this on other works you really enjoy, especially if you want to see more of their writing, because, and you might not realize this, but comments are really what keep us going and producing content you enjoy. Also, if you'd like to request something, look at the note at the end of this work and send me an ask on tumblr or a comment on here for one!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading all the way through! I know this isn't very long, but I didn't intend for it to be. I just want this to be like a little place for gen drabbles to go that might not be long enough for their own individual work. Also, I did say at the top of this that these were all originally requests, and this one was for my friend @metally-bat on tumblr/@coyotestarrksass here on AO3!  
> If you would like to leave a request for me to do, please also leave a comment either on this work or something else I've written so I know you aren't just trying to get free writing out of me with nothing in return. It doesn't have to be a long comment or even a coherent one, a keysmash or an "I LOVE IT" will do just fine! Also doesn't have to be One Piece related but feel free to send me asks on tumblr for any other fandoms I can do (needless to say that any fandom I've posted writing for on here is fair game) and any other questions you might have about this!  
> And as always, remember to leave kudos and comments on your favorite fics! It's really what keeps us going and allows content that you enjoy to continue to be produced! Thanks for reading and have a nice day!


End file.
